Service
on the return flight was very similar to the outbound flight, so I'll
try to limit my comments here to explain those aspects in which the flights
were different.
Cabin
Accommodations
"Welcome to Concorde" displayed
on the bulkhead of flight BA 001 during boarding and takeoff.
|
For this flight,
I was seated in 11C, the aisle seat next to the window seat that
I was assigned for my outbound flight. This time, I had a seatmate
in 11D--a gentleman from New Zealand who was on a round-the-world
trip for the sole purpose of flying on Concorde. Once again, I
had requested row 11 for a clear view of the bulkhead information
displays, and I was now fully confident that the wing would not
obstruct the downward view in-flight.
My flight
to from New York to London had been nearly full in the forward
cabin and scarcely populated in the rear cabin. In contrast, this
flight was nearly filled to capacity in both cabins. Aside from
not having the seat next to me open this time, I actually enjoyed
the crowded flight more because the additional people seemed to
add to the Concorde party atmosphere, which I described earlier.
In addition, passengers on this flight seemed even more excited
about the experience than those on my outbound journey. There
was a lot more chatter, and I saw quite a few more passengers
with cameras and video recorders as well.
|
The Concorde
Takeoff
We left the gate on-time
at 6:30pm, and the captain made an announcement to welcome us onboard.
After the cabin crew's safety demonstration, the captain offered an explanation
of the Concorde Takeoff, although his was far less detailed than the captain's
on my previous flight. Cabin crew took our after-takeoff drink orders
and provided a hot towel service.
Here is a 60 second
clip of the captain's announcement explaining the Concorde takeoff provided
in .wav format:
The takeoff, itself,
was equally exhilarating to my first Concorde takeoff experience. What
a rush!! Our wheels-up time was 6:50pm GMT.
Once again, I was
able to shoot a 60 second video clip of the Concorde takeoff by pointing
my digital camera out the window. The runway was bumpy and I was sitting
in the aisle seat this time, but hopefully this will still give you some
idea of what the experience looked and sounded like. Here's the movie
in QuickTime format:
A few minutes into
the flight, the cabin information displays were activated. Here are some
photos taken during Concorde's subsonic cruise, followed by some more
that were taken as we broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.0:
Meal Service
Once into our supersonic
cruise, the flight attendants passed through the cabin to distribute menus.
There was Dinner service on this flight, which I found to be significantly
better than the outbound Brunch service. Menus were followed shortly by
champagne and canapés, and flight attendants passed through shortly
afterwards to distribute appetisers.
These were the menu
selections from my flight:
Concorde
- The Ultimate Experience
Welcome
to Concorde.
British Airways ultimate flying
experience showcases fine dining
inspired be the collective contributions
of the British Airways Culinary Council.
This
team of renowned chefs
Michel Roux, Shaun Hill,
Richard Corrigan, Liam Tomlin,
Mark Edwards and Claudia Fleming
has risen to the highest challenge - creating
the ultimate in-flight menu. Despite
space and time constraints, the Culinary
Council has developed superior quality
menus without compromising
individual culinary styles
We
trust that their creations
will please the eye, delight the palate
and, most importantly, make your journey
on the Concorde the Ultimate Experience.
|
Dinner
Canapés
Appetiser
Fresh
prawn niçoise
Entrées
Roast
guinea fowl and truffle stuffing, with
cep reduction and fondante potato
Lobster
fish cakes with a light shellfish sauce
Grilled
fillet of veal black pepper and lemon
butter, sauté mushroom mix, roasted sea salt
potatoes
Grilled
artichoke, plum tomatoes, buffalo
Mozzarella on mixed leaves with balsamic
dressing
Dessert
Chocolate
silk on a nut brittle base with
chocolate sauce
OR
Cheese
Old
Pequlier, Mesulline goats cheese,
unpasteurised Dunshyre Blue
Selection
of bread rolls
Coffee,
decaffeinated coffee, a selection of tea
with chocolates
As
an alternative to the full menu, we are
pleased to offer a selection of freshly made
sandwiches including smoked salmon and
cucumber on wholemeal bread, shaved
pastrami and American mustard on
wholemeal bread, Chicken salad on malted
bread |
Wine
List
We
have great pleasure in introducing the
Concorde Cellar - a unique collection of fine
wines, specially chosen for Concorde,
from some of the finest vineyards in the
classic regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and
Champagne. These wines have been
purchased, sometimes several years in
advance, and cellared until ready to drink.
The wines listed here are just a part of the
entire cellar - the rest are gently maturing at
the châteaux for your enjoyment
in years to come.
British
Airways wine consultant is Jancis
Robinson M.W. Her expertise and knowledge
have been instrumental in the continued
success of the Concorde Cellar.
As
a journalist Jancis Robinson was the first
person outside the wine trade to qualify as a
Master of Wine. Now she is the wine writer
for the Financial Times, editor of the Oxford
Companion to Wine and, with Hugh Johnson,
co-author of the latest edition of the World
Atlas of Wine. She is also an award winning
television presenter and today writes
principally for her website jancisrobinson.com
which has subscribers in more
than 25 countries.
This
list features the wines chosen from the
Concorde Cellar for today's flight.
|
Today's
Selection
Champagne
Pommery,
Cuvée Louise, 1989
This,
the top deluxe cuvée from Pommery, is
named in honour of the widow Louise who
took over on the death of her husband and
raised the House of Pommery to new heights.
With magnificently sited vineyards in the
Montagne de Reims and the Côte des Blancs,
Pommery enjoys an abundance of high quality
fruit from which they create this wonderful
vintage champagne. This is a stylish wine, full
in flavour yet bone dry, powerful yet elegant
and totally representative of the excellent
1989 vintage.
White
Wine
Corton
Charlemagne Grand Cru
1996, Labouré-Roi
Legend
has it that the wife of the Emperor
Charlemagne persuaded him to drink only
white wines from the hill of Corton, as the red
wine stained his white beard in an unseemly
manner. Whatever the truth of this, no-one is
in any doubt about the quality of these superb
wines. The wonderful aspect of the hill of
Corton gives chardonnay of great
concentration and elegance from which are
made some of the world's finest white wines.
1996 was an excellent vintage and this
example from Labouré-Roi is at its peak, its
steely citrus fruit flavour combining with spicy
vanillin oak to give a complex lingering finish. |
Today's
Selection
Red
Wine
Corton-Pougets
Grand Gru 1994
Château de Corton André
The
vineyards of Corton, in the charming
village of Aloxe Corton, are the sole grand cru
appelation for red wine in the Côte de
Beaune. When young their wines are dense
and closed, showing nothing of their potential
yet give them time to develop and they can
give immense pleasure, the perfect expression
of the Pinot Noir grape. A beautiful fragrance
of fresh ripe berries is the hallmark of great
red burgundy. The wines of Corton combine
this with a flavour that has suppleness,
complexity and weight but also a lovely silky
texture and great elegance.
Port
Warre's
1982 Colheita Port
Warre's
1982 Colheita is a blend of the very
highest quality wines from the 1982 harvest,
using traditional Portuguese grape varieties
and a centuries old method of vinification.
Colheita ports must be matured in wood for a
minimum of seven years - in practice it is
usually much longer.
The wine has a fine amber tawny colour. On
the nose it has complex and intense aromas
of orange peel, walnuts and almonds. The
flavour is deliciously sweet, smooth and
elegant with a long and lingering finish.
|
The
Concorde Cellar
Champagne
Krug
Brut Grande Cuvée
Alfred Gratien Cuvée Paradis
Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchhill 1986
Krug Clos du Mesnil 1986
Jacquart Cuvée Nominée de Jacquart 1988
Pommery Cuvée Louise 1989
Lanson Blanc de Blancs 1990
White
Burgundy
Meursault
1er Cru Poruzot 1996
La Grande Famille des Domaines
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gain 1996
Labouré-Roi
Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 1996
Labouré-Roi
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 1997
Jean-Marc Brocard
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers 1997
Charton et Trebuchet
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 1998
Domaine Vincent Girardin
Meursault Les Narvaux 1999
Domaine Vincent Girardin |
The
Concorde Cellar
Claret
Château
Pape-Clement 1994
Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Château Gruaud-Larose 1994
Grand Cru Classé Saint Julien
Château Pichon Lalande 1994
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac
Château Smith Haut-Lafite 1994
Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Château La Lagune 1995
Grand Cru Classé Medoc
Château Branaire Ducru 1995
Grand Cru Classé Saint Julien
Château de Fieuzal 1996
Grand Cru Classé Pessac-Léognan
Red
Burgundy
Volnay
1er Cru Les Chevrets 1990
Domaine Jean-Mac Boillot
Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 1994
Château de Corton-André
Le Corton Grand Cru 1996
La Grande Famille des Domaines
Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 1997
Domaine Vincent Girardin
Port
Warre's
1982 Colheita Port
|
Bar
Service
Aperitifs
Tanqueray
No. Ten Gin,
Smirnoff Black Label Vodka,
Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum,
Martini Sweet and Dry Vermouth,
Tio Pepe Fino Sherry,
La Concha Amontillado Sherry,
Campari Bitters,
Canadian Club Rye Whisky,
Glenfiddich Ancient 18-Year-Old
Single Malt Whisky,
Johnny Walker Blue Label Whisky,
Woodford Reserve
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky.
Cocktails
Prepared
to your choice from the range
of beverages carried on board.
Soft
Drinks
A
selection of traditional and modern soft drinks
Fresh orange juice, tomato juice, apple juice,
Highland Spring Still or Sparking Mineral Water,
Schweppes - Tonic, Bitter Lemon, Soda Water,
Malvern Mineral Water, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke,
Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Sprite
Beers
Lager
- Grolsch, Stella Artois, Holsten Pils,
Fuller's London Pride Ale
Digestifs
& Liqueurs
The
Concorde Selection
Martell XO Cognac,
Drambuie, Cointreau, Grand Marnier,
Tia Maria, Baileys, Amaretto di Saronno |
|
Here are some pictures
of the meal service:
I thought the meal
service was significantly better on this flight than on my outbound segment.
Admittedly, my opinion is probably swayed by my own preferences for certain
foods that were offered, but everything seemed to be a step above the
brunch service offered on BA 002. Canapés were more flavourful,
caviar was offered with the nicely presented prawn starter, the guinea
fowl was well-prepared, and the chocolate silk was a perfect finish. That
said, even with the improvements in quality and selection, I stand by
my previous statement that Concorde meal service has several limitations
in all respects that make it fall well short of other long haul premium
cabin services.
So, I think it's worth
repeating here: Don't fly Concorde for the food. Fly Concorde for the
experience, and enjoy some pretty decent food and a satisfied stomach
when you land.
With this in mind,
I believe that anyone would've enjoyed this entire flight on Concorde.
Due to the higher number of passengers on this flight, the meal service
progressed a bit more slowly, yet it was still invariably friendly and
efficient. Very nice.
By the end of the
Dinner service, we had achieved our high cruising altitude from which
there were some more spectacular views...
PLEASE
CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE TO
MORE SPECTACULAR VIEWS FROM THE WINDOW
|
